1. Technical Field
This invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for the distribution of seasonings, e.g., seasonings as placed on potato chips, corn chips, and like snack foods and more particularly, to a method and apparatus that permits layering of different seasoning materials during the manufacture of snack food items.
2. Description of Related Art
Food particulates are often added to foods, especially snack foods. Tortilla chips, pretzels, crackers, popcorn, and numerous other foodstuffs often have seasonings applied to them during processing. Seasonings used, usually in a powdered form, have included salt, cheese, chili, garlic, Cajun spice, ranch, sour cream and onion, among many others.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional elevation view of a prior art seasoning distribution system. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus 10 generally comprises a cylindrical drum 14 and a non-rotating horizontal seasoning dispenser. Unseasoned snack food 12 enters a cylindrical drum 14 at one end through a funnel 16. Drum 14 is tilted slightly at an angle of about 5 degrees and is axially rotated in the direction indicated by arrow 18. The speed of rotation is generally between 4 and 15 RPM. The combination of tilt and rotation causes the snack food to travel continuously down the drum to exit 20. Baffles 21 may be positioned radially on the drum perimeter to aid in mixing the snack food. A horizontal, non-rotating seasoning dispenser 22 has a tube portion 24 extending into the drum. Within the tube 24 is an auger 26 in close tolerance with the tube inner wall. The auger is rotated by a power source 28 such as an electric motor. This tumbling drum arrangement and the application in general of seasoning falling from a tube to snack food therein is well known and conventional in the art. Seasoning 30, such as barbeque, sour cream, etc., is fed to the dispenser via a hopper 32 and is conveyed along the tube 24 by the auger 26. A series of apertures in the bottom of the far end of the tube 24, opposite the hopper 32, allows the seasoning to drop by gravity onto the snack food. As indicated by arrows, the seasoning is distributed in the form of a dispersion “curtain”.
The seasoning dispenser 22 may be positioned offset from the cross-sectional center of the drum, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to distribute the seasoning over the location of maximum concentration of snack food. Because of the drum rotation, the snack food tends to migrate up the drum wall, and thus the maximum concentration is located at a point other than the lowest portion of the drum. The optimum position for the dispenser is, of course, dictated by the degree of migration of the snack food, which in turn is dependent on the speed of rotation and tilt angle of the drum, and the size and number of baffles along the drum perimeter. Those skilled in the art can readily ascertain the proper location for the dispenser based upon a given set of the above process parameters.
Achieving the optimum compromise between uniform seasoning coverage of the snack product along with minimum product breakage requires careful selection of tumbler drum size. A longer tumbler drum can result in higher, undesirable product breakage.
One problem with this prior art apparatus is the difficulty of providing a layered seasoning. For example, sour cream and onion seasonings often consist of a larger parsley flake seasoning mixed in with the smaller fine particulate seasoning. The smaller fine particulate seasoning, however, can cover and obscure the parsley making it appear as though less parsley is present than actually is present. Further, some fine, particulate seasoning may partially obscure the parsley flake, which can dull or dilute the green color. Thus, it is difficult to produce a snack food product having a clear color contrast. Unfortunately, prior art seasoning distribution systems currently require the two seasonings to be mixed and applied then applied to the substrate.
One solution to this problem is to add a second seasoning dispenser 22 having a series of apertures in the bottom of the near end of the tube 24, closer to the hopper 32, but situated such that seasoning curtain resides within the drum. Unfortunately, the space constraints of the flavoring drum make the use of multiple screw conveyors impractical, and also the cost of such a system may be prohibitive.
Another solution may be to use a second apparatus 10 as depicted in FIG. 1 in series with a first apparatus 10 and thereby route the substrate through two seasoning drums having different seasonings. This solution, however, fails because in addition to significant capital costs for a second apparatus, such a configuration would result in higher than desirable product breakage.
Similarly, patents that relate to snack food seasoning in the prior art all fail to provide an economical apparatus that provides a layered seasoning on a snack food substrate. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,543,907, 5,090,593, 5,846,324, 6,619,226, and 6,588,363 all fail to disclose an apparatus capable of providing a layered seasoning on a snack food substrate.
Consequently a need exists for an apparatus that can provide a layered, uniform seasoning coverage onto snack products while minimizing product breakage. The method and apparatus should be adaptable to an existing product line where seasoning is applied to a snack food substrate. In addition, the apparatus should not result in an increase in product breakage. Thereby snack products with uniform layered seasoning coverage can be produced in an economical manner while avoiding product breakage.